henry eviston



(No Model.)

I. SPRINGER & H. EVISTON.

SHIPPING BASKET.

Patented Jan. 9, 1894.

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51A QM UNITED STATES PATENT O FICE,

ISAAC SPRINGER AND, HENRY EVISTON, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, ASSIGNORS TO THE INDIANAPOLIS BASKET COMPANY.

SHIPPING-BASKET.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 512,404, dated January 9, 1894. Application filed October 14, 1893- Serial No. 488,194- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ISAAC SPRINGER and HENRY EVISTON, citizensof the United States, residing at Indianapolis, in the county of Marion and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shipping-Baskets; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in baskets, and has special reference to improvements in baskets used by bakers, laundrymen and others who ship, receive and reship goods in the course of their business requiring a strong and rigid protecting case but one that can be used over and over repeatedly. Baskets for this purpose have been commonly constructed of broad thin splints interwoven approximately at right angles across the bottom and with the ends turned up into as near a vertical position as possible and interwoven with willow rattan or other material to form the sides. The serious objection to baskets so constructed has been mainly two fold.

First, the weakness and inability of the sidesto stand the hard usage resulting from the manner in which they are thrown from'trains and vehicles in unloading therefrom and also from the pressure of boxes and other express matter so frequently piled upon the baskets, causing the standards to break and the sides to collapse. Sometimes the standards near the corners are reinforced with an extra splint thrust between the splint and the cross Weavings or perhaps the extra splint is secured by riveting, but in either case the construction has proved wholly inadequate. The

second serious objection has been to the shape of the basket, for as the standards are expected to be self supporting it is impossible to keep them from bulging out and making unequal distances between the sides of the basket instead of approaching the much desired shape of a straight sided box with vertical sides. Equi-distant sides are greatly to be preferred on account of the ease in packing articles of uniform size and also because the cases themselves economize space in shipment. Baskets are preferred to boxes on account of their lighter weight which lessens the express charges and lightens the labor in handling.

The objects of this invention are then, first, to .provide a strong and substantial frame that will take the strain almost wholly off of the standards and prevent their breaking down; second, to support the splint standards so that the sides of the basketwill be nearly or quite equi-distant;

The objects of this invention are accomplished by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1, is a view in perspective of a basket constructed in accordance with this invention. Portions of the top band and of the bottom of the basket are broken away on one corner to show the construction of the tenons on the corner posts and a portion of the side of the basket is removed to show the inside guards and the lacing of the splintstandards across the bottom of the basket. Fig. 2, is a detail in side elevation, partially in section of one of the posts and shows the tenon on the top end of the post and the manner of its application between the two parts of the double top band. The figure also shows the round tenon on the lower end of the post and its construction with relation to and manner of attachment with thewooden bottom of the basket, and the batten upon which the bottom rests. Fig. 3 is a top plan view of one of the posts and Fig. 4, is a detail showing the lower end of the post and showing the bottom of the basket cut away and sectioned to show the tenon on the end of the post.

Similar letters refer to like parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

In the drawings A represents the bottom of the basket which will be constructed of the flooring boards A cut so that the, grain of the wood will run transverse with relation to the length of the basket and battens A running longitudinally with the basket and to which the flooring pieces will be secured by screws or nails.

B is a series of posts preferably made of hickory or other tough wooden material, in order to secure light weight with strength. Otherwise metal posts might be used. These posts may be round, square, octagon or any desired shape in cross section without departing from the spirit of this invention but it is believed for practical purposes a shape in cross section such as shown in Fig. 3 will be found preferable for the reason that ample shoulders on each side of the round tenon are secured, also the flat side when turned inwill give a more uniformly smooth and even surface to the inside of the basket than any other shape of post and in the construction of the top tenonthefull widthofthematerialispreserved to make the tenon good and strong. As intimated above the posts will be provided with a round tenon b on the lower end of the post and with the flat tenon b on its upper end. Suitable openings in the battens A will be made to receive the round tenons b and these will be securely fastened in place by driving the wire nail b through the batten and through the tenon and clinching the nail on the inside of the batten as shown in Fig. Any other means of securing the tenon as a bolt, screw, wedge, &c., may be used instead of a nail.

C is the top band of the basket and is constructed of two heavy splint bands 0 and O placed parallel and vertically and so arranged that their joining ends will break joints as is customary in such constructions. The fiat tenoned ends Z) of the posts B will be projected between the two bands so the outside band will rest upon the shoulder of the tenon, and will be secured by the rivetb passing through both sections of the band and through the tenon.

D are splint standards of usual construction and are interlaced on top of the basket bottom in the usual manner as clearly shown in Fig. 1. The outer ends are then carried up vertically and are projected between the two sections of the band C and are secured by riveting as is shown in Fig. 1. The inside guards G are longitudinal strips overlying the outside battens of the basket bottom and are securely fastened to the bottom byscrews extending through the guards into the battens. These splint standards are thus impinged between the guards and the bottom of the basket and the guards act as forms around which the splints are bent and enable a quicker bend to be made at the lower corner. The posts hold the band O'in a fixed and invariable position and enable the splint standards to be drawn taut and fastened to the band and held in an approximately vertical position thereby securing equidistant sides to the basket. The standards and the posts will be strengthened and securelybound together by an interweaving of split splint, slab rattan, or reed, mate rial in the usual manner of weaving baskets, and altogether forming a firm and durable construction.

\Ve claim- 1. In a basket having vertical splint standards and rattan willow or other material interwoven with said standards, a double band to bind the ends of the standards and a bottom constructed of side battens and a connecting floor secured thereto, in combination with a series of posts tenoned at their lower ends to the battens and floor and at their upper ends having tenons projected and secured between the two parts of the double band, the several parts being securely nailed or riveted together, all substantially as described and specified.

2. In a shipping basket a rim consisting of a double binding band of two splints riveted together and between which the ends of the splint standards are impinged and fastened, a bottom constructed of battens and a connecting door and a series of standards ten- Oned to the floor and to the battens and also having a flat tenon at their upper ends to be engaged between the two parts of the rim band, splint standards, rattan willow or other material interwoven with the standards and the posts so as to bind them securely together and meansfor securing the tenons of the posts in their sockets substantially as described and specified.

In testimony whereof we affix oursignatures in presence of two witnesses.

ISAAC SPRINGER. HENRY EVISTON. Witnesses:

JOSEPH A. MINTURN, P. D. MEANY. 

